Please be advised that the Provincial Executive of the Hospital Employees'
Union, representing 42,000 members, has voted to endorse John Graham's
efforts to stay in Canada.

The United States, under their extradition agreement with Canada, wants
Mr. Graham to be tried in a US court for the alleged murder of Anna Mae
Pictou-Aquash twenty-eight (28) years ago in Pine Ridge. Both Graham and
Pictou-Aquash are Canadian.

The extradition hearing is being conducted in the BC Supreme Court and
will be likely be decided on extremely narrow legal questions of identity,
with no regard to the truth. Ultimately, it will become a decision for
the federal Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler whether or not to exercise
his ministerial discretion to deny the extradition order.

We add our voices to the extensive list calling on Mr. Cotler to allow
Mr. Graham to stay in this country, and to conduct the trial here if it
is to proceed at all. Mr. Graham has always maintained his innocence and
the case against him is riddled with errors, inconsistencies and by all
appearances manufactured and coerced evidence.

It seems Graham is paying the price for refusing to serve as the FBI's
pawn. He has said that FBI agents visited him in the Yukon in 1989 and
1995. The first time they promised to go after him if he didn't accuse
others of murdering Pictou-Aquash. An RCMP officer was present for the
second visit when Graham was offered "immunity" if he cooperated.

Our government should learn its lesson from the case of Leonard Peltier.
There is no justice in the US courts for the activists involved in the
1970s American Indian Movement. It would be a travesty of justice to send
Mr. Graham to a similar fate. At least in Canada he may get a fair trial.

We will be writing to Minister Cotler to express our views and encourage
him to protect the sovereignty of Canada and Canadian citizens by refusing
to approve this extradition.